Broken Souls
by TeamDean79
Summary: Elena dies. Stefan, Damon and Caroline are left alive, but Damon refuses to leave it like that. So he goes after a legend he heard about years ago, and makes the ultimate sacrifice. Who really loves Elena more? Damon or Stefan?
1. Chapter 1

**This came to me yesterday during the last five minutes of my last class. I've been itching to get it out. And I know I've got trillions of other stories to finish, and believe me, I will. So don't worry!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Vampire Diaries, it belongs to L.J. Smith. And this is a slight crossover with Supernatural, but you don't need to have seen the show to read this...so I don't own that either, it belogsn to Eric Kripke.**

**I hope you like this! Enjoy!**

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**Broken Souls**

Chapter 1

They shouldn't have believed that Katherine would've been fooled so easily by their "fights". Stefan hadn't been fast enough, strong enough. He should've started with the human blood earlier...and _not_ with Elena's. Who was he to have the right to do something like that, even if she agreed to it? It had happened so quickly that it hadn't even registered with his mind.

He, Elena and Damon were standing just outside the boarding house. Liz had her memory wiped clean of learning that the Salvatores and her daughter were vampires, and was off living happily ever after, being a sheriff and keeping an eye on any suspicious happenings with the Council. Caroline was still at the Salvatores', though; had been there for a few days now. She was still recovering from what her mom had told her. She'd told Liz that she was working on a school project with Elena and they were doing it at the boarding house, which was quiet and had plenty of space to work and think. Neither Salvatore minded at all. Actually, she wasn't as bad as Damon had thought.

They were discussing the werewolf problem. Mason had to be dealt with...well, more like killed. He was too dangerous to the town, more than likely to spill his guts about Stefan, Damon and Caroline. He had to die, most preferably at a time when there wasn't a full moon. Tyler had to go, too, Damon figured. Any time he could flip whatever it was that triggered becoming all werewolf-y, and become just as dangerous as his uncle. As was expected, the others did not agree—"Tyler's human," "He's innocent," "He hasn't done anything," blah, blah, _blah_. Honestly, if there was anyone who knew that appearances were deceiving, it should be them. But he didn't seem to be working them over. Ah, well, he'd deal with that little issue himself.

It was there, just outside the boarding house, in that point in time, when she'd appeared behind Elena.

"Hello, Elena," Katherine greeted briefly, coldly, and when Elena had turned towards her, her vampire doppelganger had snapped her neck in one swift motion, the crack echoing painfully through the cold night air. "Goodbye, Elena," she'd said, just as coldly, at the same time Stefan shouted, "No!"

Katherine's cold brown eyes had looked up to meet Stefan's agony-filled green ones. "You are _mine_, Stefan. No pathetic little human that doesn't deserve you is going to take you away from me." And then she was gone.

Despite Stefan's uncontrollable shaking, he managed to stumble over to where Elena lay dead on the ground. He ended up on his knees besides her, hands grasping her shoulders, shaking her. "Elena," he gasped out desperately. "Elena, _please_. Please, you...we're in this together, right?" The sound he made could've been a laugh or a sob. "Elena, please, you can't...Elena, please...please, _please_...oh God, Elena. Don't, please..." He was beginning to sob, but he couldn't stop his mantra. "Don't leave me. Please, don't be dead. _Please_..." And then his body was shaking too hard to continue with words. The sobs were coming out of him harshly and uncontrollably.

Damon was frozen, could not move. He couldn't look away from the horrific scene in front of him, the teenage girl lying dead on the ground, in an eternal sleep, his brother's desperate sobs not even enough to wake her. And she was so beautiful..._Helen is a form of Elena. Helen of Troy, beautiful and doomed._ But Helen wasn't caught up in a world of monsters, werewolves, witches and vampires—enough of a death sentence already. His body felt numb, and he could not really acknowledge what was in front of him. The beautiful, dead girl. Elena. The love if his life's doppelganger, dead. Stefan's sobs were a faraway sound to his ears, along with Caroline running out of the boarding house, horrified and crying.

_Shock,_ he thought. _I'm in shock. Or denial, or something. I can't..._he took a step backwards, and a single tear spilled down his cheek. _Guess...guess I thought too soon,_ he thought shakily, just as another tear made itself known. _Damn it,_ he though angrily as his lips started trembling. _Hell, no. I'm not crying. I'm_ not. _Not here._

Neither of the vampires on the ground morning for the loved, dead girl noticed as Damon vanished from sight, a plan working it's way on forming in his head.

* * *

Getting together what he needed didn't take long; the supplies he needed included some deep South voodoo items, which he had. And there was witchy stuff basically lying all over. There were no tears falling or in his eyes at this point; now he was calm and calculating and cold, completely focused on his task. He wasn't completely sure that this would even work; it was a legend he'd heard a long while ago. But he couldn't leave things like this. He couldn't leave Elena dead. It wasn't right.

He put all of the necessary items in a small wooden box; graveyard dirt, a black cat bone, and a few other things that assured you that you were getting yourself into some bad magic, and a small photo of himself, cut from his driver's license. Then he got into his car, pulled out of the driveway, and made his way out of town, past the city limits, and down a long country road. he'd been driving a while and had passed several corn stalks before he found his destination; a crossroads. An area of dirt, with one road going each direction; north, south, east and west. He parked his car, went out into the crossroads, getting as precisely in the middle as possible. Then he knelt and dug a hole with his hand, making quick work of it. He dropped the box inside before pushing the dirt that he'd dug up in the hole to cover it, standing and smoothing it with his foot. Then he looked up and around. It was the dead of night, with no moon or stars lighting up the sky. Only crickets could be heard. Damon could barely see anything, even with his advanced senses, but that didn't mean he couldn't recognize a presence, were one to show up.

"C'mon," he whispered. This_ had_ to be real. If it wasn't...

Silence.

"COME ON!" he roared to the empty darkness, whipping around in every direction, looking for the damn Crossroads Demon that was Elena's only chance.

"Well, relax a little, baby, sheesh. I'm right here."

Damon froze, then took a deep breath, turning around calmly. Standing just a few feet behind him was a beautiful, sweet-looking young woman with wavy blond hair and pale skin, wearing a black cocktail dress, watching him with a slight smirk. "Well, well, well. Damon Salvatore, the bad brother. Never thought I would have the pleasure."

Damon had a hard, icy glare fixed on her, the kind that made vampires stronger than him back down. She didn't seem at all intimidated. She simply gave him a pleasant smile, her clear clue eyes flashing blood red.

"I mean, you're the selfish one, right? Don't give two craps about anyone in the world but yourself? And here you are, doing the ultimate selfless act. Let me guess, for that pretty Elena Gilbert girl?" She gave him a knowing look, having no need to really ask. "What happened to her?"

"Katherine happened to her," Damon said, each word grinding painfully out of his throat.

The demon grinned suddenly, brightly. "Well, good for her! ...and let me guess, that what you're here for.'

Damon nodded once, not breaking eye contact with her.

"Mm..." she grimaced. "Katherine might not be too happy about that, having her work undone."

"She gets me in Hell."

"True. But, to be honest—brutally, maybe, but honest—you aren't exactly top on her list of priorities as of now."

"I know. But this way she won't have to really worry about me, will she?"

The Crossroad Demon chewed her lower lip. "Perhaps...then again, Katherine's been known to get creative when she's angry, and she isn't exactly the type to stop and listen to logic."

Oh, God; he was losing her. He turned desperate. "Please. Whatever you want from me, you can have it. Just...bring her back."

She raised her eyebrows slightly.

"...she doesn't deserve this," he finished weakly.

She looked truly thoughtful. "I shouldn't..."

Damon was trembling from head to toe. _Please...oh, God, please..._

"...but, you are just too fun to play with. I can't pass up an opportunity like this. I'll deal with the wrath of Katherine later." She smiled. Damon supposed it was meant to be charming, but to him it was slimy and disgusting.

Not that it mattered.

He stepped forward. "What do you want?" he asked emotionlessly.

She laughed. "Well, your soul, of course. You're damning yourself in making this deal, you realize that, right?"

"Yes, I realize." He nodded once. "Ten years, right?"

"Oh, honey, not for you. You really think Hell can wait that long for a celebrity like you? No, I'm sure they'll be just waiting to get slicing and dicing into you. The demon you'll make..."

Damon rolled his eyes. "How long, then?"

"Mm...one."

He didn't mean for it to happen, but his eyes involuntarily widened in shock. "_One_?"

"One. Baby, you're lucky that this deal is even being made. Elena returns from the dead and the Hellhounds come for their due one year from tonight, at midnight exactly. It's that or nothing. Deal or no deal."

Damon nodded. _I'm damning myself,_ he thought. _I'm going to go to literal Hell tobe tortured until I turn into some kind of demon. Is...is it really worth it?_ And Elena's face flashed through his mind again. Peaceful in death, and yet wrong...not meant to be. _Yes. It is._ "How does this deal get sealed?"

The Crossroad Demon grinned, thrilled. "Well, this is my favorite part." She went up to him and paused, her slender body against his, her forehead leaned against his. "You sure about this, Salvatore?"

Damon gave her a stony stare. "_What do you think_?"

She simply grinned and pressed her lips to his.

He reacted, surprised, but with common sense telling him that this was likely the answer to his question. It was intense. For Damon, maybe it was, physically. The demon clearly liked it more than he did. But it didn't matter. There were no questions now; he could feel it.

The deal was sealed.

* * *

Stefan sat vigil beside where Elena's body lay across the couch. She looked peaceful, and yet...

He knew that Elena was dead, and yet his mind refused to believe it. His soul would absolutely, under any circumstances, not accept that the love of his life, the girl that he would give the world for, was dead.

Caroline was just on the other side of the wall, crying softly. She didn't seem to be able to stop, and she wanted to be alone. Not even alone with Elena, just...alone. She was heartbroken. Stefan knew that. But for him...heartbroken didn't even seem to begin to describe it.

So when Elena bolted upright, brown eyes wide and bewildered, gasping for air, he thought he was seeing things.

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**Wow. Huh. Um...tell me what you think! Should I continue it?**


	2. Chapter 2

**Kinda short, I know. But I think that all of you lovely reviewers deserve a good chapter, so here it is! Some emotional turmoil here; be warned.**

**Disclaimer (yes, you know it and I know it, but I'm doing it simply out of principle): I do not own the Vampire Diaries, they belong to L.J. Smith. So heartbreaking so write…*sniff*.**

**Oh, by the way, go check out TeamCastiel's 'Insane thoughts of a tired writer'. You'll find it in the Supernatural/Vampire Diaries crossover section. It's funny, believe me.**

**Enjoy!**

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****Broken Souls**

Chapter 2

Elena stared at Stefan, still gasping for air. He appeared to be in shock, just looking at her, unmoving.

"…Stefan?" she said hesitantly, unsure of what was going on. "Stefan, what…what is it? What's wrong?"

Stefan just shook his head, continuing to stare at her, his eyes filling with pain. "Elena?" he whispered.

A pang was sent through her heart and she moved closer to him, cupping his face with her hands. "Stefan, what is it?"

For a moment he seemed incapable of speech, his mouth opening and closing, shaking his head again. "Elena…are you _real_?" he whispered, almost as though barely allowing himself to hope.

Elena shook her head as well, but in confusion. What did he mean, was she real? "Stefan, I don't—"

"Elena." Stefan swallowed, looking at her with more pain than she'd ever seen, and it tore her up inside. She thought there was a shine to his eyes. "Are you real?" he repeated. He wanted an answer.

"Yes, Stefan. Why are you asking that? What—"

Before she could say another word Stefan had pulled her into his arms, and she fit snugly and naturally into them, as she always had. And in that position, she could feel how hard he was shaking. So she tried to get her arms around him, to comfort him whether or not she knew why he was so upset, but it was difficult.

"Elena," he whispered, and it was almost a sob. That drove her to manage to free her arms and put them around Stefan, and they were hugging each other. Elena wasn't sure who was holding the other more desperately. She used one hand to cup the back of his neck and pull his head against her shoulder.

"Stefan," she whispered, stroking his hair, still not understanding but not caring, not if Stefan was in pain.

Stefan tangled his fingers in her long hair, pulled back, and kissed her, and it was so desperate it hurt. But she pressed her lips to his in turn.

After a second Stefan pulled back, putting his hands on her shoulders, holding her that way. He hadn't pulled back far, however, and their foreheads leaned against each other's. "Elena," he whispered, "how are you alive?"

"…what?"

Stefan's forehead smoothed out in realization, and he nodded. "You don't remember."

"Stefan! Remember what?" she demanded, annoyance mounting at her confusion.

"Elena?"

She picked her head up, and saw Caroline standing behind Stefan, her blue eyes wide, looking like she'd seen a ghost.

"Car?" Elena stood up. "Caroline, what happened? I don't understand…Stefan said—"

"Elena, how the hell are you alive?" Caroline blurted out.

"…yeah, basically that. What the hell?" she looked between the two vampires, searching for an answer. "What do you mean, _'How am I alive?'_ What, did I _die_?"

"_Yes_, Elena!" Caroline all but cried. "You and Stefan and Damon were all outside, and that _bitch_ Katherine appeared behind you and broke your neck!" Elena had never seen her friend more upset, panicked, close to tears. "So _yeah_, Elena, you died! And there's no way that you could _possibly_ be alive unless you—" Her eyes widened even further and she met eyes with Stefan. "She isn't a vampire, is she?"

"No," Stefan said, shaking his head, not completely calm but much more so than before. "I was very close to her, and she's human. She's…exactly like she was before."

"Um, hello, I'm standing right here!"

Caroline seemed to realize that then, and then she was moving, her body a blur until she had stopped and tugged Elena into her arms, hugging her just hard enough so that she wouldn't hurt her, very aware of her own strength.

Warmth gathering into her eyes, Elena put her arms around her friend in turn.

"I just don't get it," Caroline said softly, sounding like she was trying not to start crying to Elena's ears.

Elena rubbed her back, hugged her more tightly. "Me neither."

"But I don't care."

"Me neither," she whispered.

They held each other for a few seconds longer before they heard the door open and both looked up, letting go of each other reluctantly.

Damon looked up, meeting Elena's eyes. And Elena saw emotions mixing in his expression; sadness, relief, amazement…

…love?

But before she could analyze him any further his expression became calmer, cooler, and he took a deep breath.

_You son of a bitch, you can let yourself feel every once in a while, you know,_ she thought angrily, but before she could say anything Damon spoke.

"How…?" he asked, staring between Stefan, Caroline and her, looking for an explanation.

"We don't know," Stefan said, coming to stand on the side of Elena opposite of Caroline. "She just…woke up. She was gasping, but other than that…"

Damon nodded slowly, locking eyes with Elena, and there was something in his eyes that made her anger fade. And it was love. Pure, unadulterated love. She didn't know if the others could see it, but she could.

He was coming closer, and his eyes…looking into them, she could barely breathe. Along with the love, there was so much pain it was suffocating.

And he was standing close, right in front of her, looking down at her.

"Are you okay?" he asked very softly.

"Yeah. I'm fine. …no different than before. I just don't understand."

And he stepped back, and he was distant, those damn guards up.

"Good."

"Damon, where did you go?" Caroline demanded.

He looked at her, and there was something like—but not quite—anger in his face. "Why the hell do you care?"

Stefan stepped forward, holding out a hand to stop Caroline, who was about to step forward as well, being peacemaker as he usually was. "We just realized that you were gone after Katherine…" he trailed off, unable to finish. "And we were worried."

"Ha! Worried my sweet white ass. Not like you should waste something like that on me anyway—you do enough worrying when shit _isn't_ hitting the fan."

Elena just shook her head, tuning them out as the argument continued. Damon was an idiot. He didn't have to constantly act like he could take everything and anything, like he hadn't once been human, and that a not-so-physical part of him still was. No one ever knew what Damon truly felt about something, because he put up those goddamned _guards_ and made smartass comments to cover up however he really felt. Elena couldn't make him do anything, or stop it. Stefan couldn't. Caroline couldn't. But damn it, Damon had been human once, and Elena knew—could _feel_—that some a part of him still was. She'd seen cracks in his armor before, but had never seen it truly broken. But he couldn't hold strong forever. No one with a soul—that excluding Katherine, of course—could manage to pretend to look uncaring of everything in the world around them forever.

Wanting to get her priorities in order, she took a deep breath and asked, "Who did you tell?"

By the way the three stopped and looked at her, she bet that she'd interrupted something. But just then, she couldn't bring herself to give a damn.

"No one," Stefan answered. "You weren't…gone for long, Elena."

She nodded. "Okay. Good. That makes for less problems and explanations."

"Which we have enough of already," Caroline added. She was still shaken, but recovering well from what had just happened. If there was one good thing that came out of her vampirism, it was that she was stronger than she ever had been. Elena was proud of her.

Elena calmly walked over to the corner and picked up her bag. "I should probably head home. I wouldn't want Jenna or Jeremy to worry about me—you know, it's late. Unless you guys have any leads on how I'm…you know, alive—"

"How doesn't matter," Stefan said quietly, walking up to her and taking her hands. "What matters is that you're alive."

Elena just nodded. She didn't exactly agree on the matter, but it was late, and she was tired and still bewildered about the whole situation (I mean, she had _died_? Wouldn't she have _known_?). So she just leaned forward and kissed Stefan. "I love you."

"I love you, too," he told her as she pulled back. "I guess I'll see you in the morning."

"Yeah." Elena looked at Caroline. "See you later."

Caroline looked at her, her blue eyes suddenly hard. "Yes. And be _careful_, for God's sakes."

"I will."

"Maybe I should drive you home," Stefan said suddenly—although Elena had been expecting that.

"Katherine tried to kill me once, and I'm alive. I don't think she'll try again."

"Are you _sure_?"

Elena took a deep breath, and saw nothing but love and concern in Stefan's eyes. And, she agreed, to give Stefan peace of mind, if not anything else. "Yeah, maybe you should drive me home."

As they drove to Elena's house, to Jenna and Jeremy, she wondered how she would be able to walk in and talk like everything was normal, like she hadn't died—what—an hour and a half ago? But she knew that she would be able to. She'd been lying for over a year now—she was used to it, and, if she were being honest, good at it. It'd work itself out.

* * *

Damon sat quietly in the front room, in front of the fire, drinking. It was about four o'clock in the morning, and Stefan and Caroline were asleep—they were vampires, but _they had normal lives to live_, after all. So he was alone, and the boarding house was silent.

Staring into the fire, he thought ironically, _That's all that I'll know in a year. No more of these delusions of normalcy…no more Katherine._ His gut clenched. But then, _Screw her. She killed Elena and ruined my and my brother's lives. The bitch can go die for all I care._ He took a long swig of the amber-colored liquid in the bottle in his hand.

Three harsh, pissed-off raps were knocked on the other side of the doors.

Damon looked at it, raising his eyebrows, checking the time on his cell phone just to be sure it was right.

4:03 a.m.

What. The. Hell.

Very cautious suddenly, Damon put aside the bottle and got to his feet, grabbing a long, lethally sharp wooden stake in one hand and opening the door once he made his way to it with another.

What greeted his sight was something that caught him completely off guard, not a usual occasion. What they said bewildered him even more.

"What…did you…do?" Bonnie Bennett demanded.

* * *

**Well, isn't that interesting? :D I'd called it a cliffhanger, I think. Would you? I just wanna be sure. Now, be honest…who expected it to be the witch in question? Not me…and I wrote this. Lol, review, please!**


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